Tydd St Mary Landing Ground History
(Map edited to show runways)
52°45'17.11"N 0°09'21.81"ERunways:
Not known
Tydd St Mary was a class 1 Day Landing Ground, situated 1.5km NE of Tydd St Mary Church. The LG was established to house No.51 (Home Defence) Squadron in the summer of 1916, finally in August 1917, the Sqn’s "B" Flight moved in, and the LG was upgraded to full aerodrome status.
Shortly after the Sqn’s arrival they were pressed in to action. On the night of 12-13th April 1918, a German Zeppelin L62 released part of its bomb load east of the flare path and successfully eluded the pilots of No.51 Sqn. No.51 Sqn were primarily equipped with eight Royal Aircraft Factory F.E.2b’s while at Tydd St Mary, but these were to be replaced by the Avro 504N before the Sqn’s move to Sutton Farm in May 1919. Immediately after the Sqn left, Tydd St Mary was closed.
Tydd St Mary was built into an existing farm complex, and of the original farm buildings one was used as a cinema, and one as an armoury. The aerodrome covered a massive 125 acres and stood to the south side of the South Holland Main Drain. Of the two hangars built and various other buildings, none now sadly exist, with the last of the buildings (believed to be the Flight Office) demolished in late 2009.
| Date | Squadron | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Summer 1916 | Landing Ground opened. | |
| August 1917 | No.51 Sqn (Detachment) | No.51 Sqn left the Landing Ground in May 1919. |
| June 1919 | Landing Ground closed. |
